rudyard kipling

“So now the Admiralty wireless whispers through the ether to the tall masts of ships, and captains pace their decks absorbed in thought. It is nothing. It is less than nothing. It is too foolish, too fantastic to be thought of in the twentieth century. Or is it fire and murder leaping out of the darkness at our throats, torpedoes ripping the bellies of half-awakened ships, a sunrise on a vanished naval supremacy, and an island well-guarded hitherto, at last defenceless? No, it is nothing. No one would do such things. Civilization has climbed above such perils. The interdependence of nations in trade and traffic, the sense of public law, the Hague Convention, Liberal principles, the Labour Party, high finance, Christian charity, common sense have rendered such nightmares impossible. Are you quite sure? It would be a pity to be wrong. Such a mistake could only be made once—once for all.”

For writing a Conway Stewart pen. “Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.”

Romeo y Julieta Cigars and Johnnie Walker. “When I was younger I made it a rule never to take a strong drink before lunch. It is now my rule never to do so before breakfast.” and “All I can say is that I have take more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me!”

Editors note: It took some digging but these all do appear to be authentic Churchill preferences. The first person perspective was chosen for simplicity. The quote included under good reads, while not explicitly about books, it seemed to fit nicely.